Good morning good people.

May the Risen Lord give you peace in the Holy Spirit!

It is 29th April 2024.  

We reflect on Acts 14:5-18 and John 14:21-26.

Are we idealizing people over God?  

The gifts of the Spirit are given not to make us boast, bossy and petty gods but rather to humble ourselves to give credit to God who deserves the praise and honour for these gifts entrusted to us. 

The first reading presents us with a miracle of healing of a person crippled from birth through the intercessions of St. Paul and Barnabas. 

The people mistook them as Greek gods who were among them to provide healing. People believed Barnabas for Zeus and Paul for Hermes. They idolized these apostles as gods for having performed a miracle among them. The people went to the extent of offering sacrifices to them. 

But the apostles were humble enough to remind them that they were merely human beings and there was an urgent need to turn to God, not to idols. 

Who are the people whom we have idolised and got fixated spiritually that we built altars of praise, boasting and vain glory in our lives? 

Let us destroy the altars of our petty and secret gods of glory and return to the Lord all the wonders God performs in every minute of our lives. 

In the Gospel, Jesus assures us that the Most Holy Trinity would love to have a home in our lives when we have assimilated the Word of God.  Jesus promises us all the Holy Spirit as the Advocate, the one who supports, defends, and speaks in our favor to God. 

We cannot love or worship God without listening to and accommodating His Words in our lives. God’s love rewards us with peace, joy, and contentment.

 

Fr. Peter Fernando, OFMCap.
Director, Office of Family Ministry, Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA).Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.♣Website:https://reflectionsofpeter.org/.♣Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/samarpet